Transparent polymer films are used in a wide range of products. While the films can serve many purposes, generally the films provide some protection from various mechanical and/or environmental assaults. Protection provided by the film can be directed both to underlying structure as well as the film itself since, for example, a scratched surface of the film can degrade the desired performance of the film by decreasing transparency and increasing blurring or haze. Protection of surfaces can be significant both in use of the ultimate product as well as during processing to form the product and transporting components for assembly into the product.
Functional films can provide important roles in a range of contexts. For example, electrically conductive films can be important for the dissipation of static electricity when static can be undesirable or dangerous. Optical films can be used to provide various functions, such as polarization, anti-reflection, phase shifting, brightness enhancement or other functions. High quality displays can comprise one or more optical coatings.
Transparent conductors can be used for several optoelectronic applications including, for example, touch-screens, liquid crystal displays (LCD), flat panel display, organic light emitting diode (OLED), solar cells and smart windows. Historically, indium tin oxide (ITO) has been the material of choice due to its relatively high transparency at high conductivities. There are however several shortcomings with ITO. For example, ITO is a brittle ceramic which needs to be deposited using sputtering, a fabrication process that involves high temperatures and vacuum and therefore can be relatively slow. Additionally, ITO is known to crack easily on flexible substrates.